Polymer-based rare earth-doped waveguide device

1. A polymer-based waveguide device for use in an optical amplifier or as a laser waveguide, the polymer-based waveguide device comprising:

a substrate;

a polymer bottom cladding layer arranged on the substrate;

at least one polymer channel waveguide doped with rare earth metal ions that can be excited to produce a laser, the at least one channel waveguide being arranged on the bottom cladding layer, the rare earth metal ions being combined with an organic compound to form complexes which have relatively high solubility in a polymer; and

a polymer top cladding layer arranged on the at least one channel waveguide.

2. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 1 , wherein the substrate is made of a material selected from a group comprising silicon single crystal, silicon polycrystal lithium niobate single crystal, quartz, optical glass and optical plastic.

3. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 1 , wherein the rare earth metal ions are one or more of the group comprising erbium, thulium, holmium, praseodymium, samarium, cerium, ytterbium, neodymium, europium and gadolinium.

4. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 1 , wherein the organic compound in the complexes has a polydentate cage structure enclosing the rare earth metal ions.

5. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 1 , wherein the bottom and top cladding layers are made of the same polymer.

6. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 1 , wherein a refractive index of the bottom cladding layer is substantially lower than a refractive index of the at least one channel waveguide, and a refractive index of the top cladding layer is substantially lower than the refractive index of the at least one channel waveguide.

7. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 6 , wherein the refractive index of the bottom cladding layer is substantially equal to the refractive index of the top cladding layer.

8. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 1 , wherein the at least one channel waveguide is substantially parallel to the substrate.

9. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 1 , wherein the polymer-based waveguide device comprised a plurality of polymer channel waveguides, and the channel waveguides are substantially parallel to each other.

10. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 1 , further comprising substantially a refractive index step boundary between the at least one channel waveguide and the bottom cladding layer, and substantially a refractive index step boundary between the at least one channel waveguide and the top cladding layer.

11. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 1 , wherein a refractive index of the polymer-based waveguide device gradually decreases from within the at least one channel waveguide outwardly through the bottom cladding layer, and gradually decreases from within the at least one channel waveguide outwardly through the top cladding layer.

12. A polymer-based waveguide device for use in an optical amplifier or as a laser waveguide, the polymer-based waveguide device comprising:

a substrate;

a polymer bottom cladding layer arranged on the substrate;

a polymer top cladding layer applied onto said bottom cladding layer; and

at least one polymer channel waveguide doped with rare earth metal ions that can be excited to produce a laser, and embedded between said polymer bottom cladding layer and said polymer top cladding layer, the rare earth metal ions being combined with an organic compound to form complexes which have relatively high solubility in a polymer.

13. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 12 , wherein said polymer channel waveguide extends through the device along a lengthwise direction to reach an exterior while being surrounded by said polymer bottom cladding layer and said polymer top cladding layer in lateral directions perpendicular to said lengthwise direction.

14. A polymer-based waveguide device for use in an optical amplifier or as a laser waveguide, the polymer-based waveguide device comprising:

a substrate;

a polymer bottom cladding layer arranged on the substrate;

at least one polymer channel waveguide doped with rare earth metal ions that can be excited to produce a laser, the at least one channel waveguide being arranged on the bottom cladding layer, the rare earth metal ions being combined with an organic compound to form complexes, the organic compound having a polydentate cage structure enclosing the rare earth metal ions; and

a polymer top cladding layer arranged on the at least one channel waveguide.

15. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 14 , wherein the substrate is made of a material selected from a group comprising silicon single crystal, silicon polycrystal, lithium niobate single crystal, quartz, optical glass and optical plastic.

16. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 14 , wherein the rare earth metal ions are one or more of the group comprising erbium, thulium, holmium, praseodymium, samarium, cerium, ytterbium, neodymium, europium and gadolinium.

17. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 14 , wherein the bottom and top cladding layers are made of the same polymer.

18. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 14 , wherein a refractive index of the bottom cladding layer is substantially lower than a refractive index of the at least one channel waveguide, and a refractive index of the top cladding layer is substantially lower than the refractive index of the at least one channel waveguide.

19. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 14 , wherein the refractive index of the bottom cladding layer is substantially equal to the refractive index of the top cladding layer.

20. The polymer-based waveguide device as described in claim 14 , wherein the at least one channel waveguide is substantially parallel to the substrate.